What was the reason why the Huns rarely killed captured or surrendered Han generals, and instead would treat surrendered generals generously?

If, the Huns believed that if they wanted to win, they had to value talent, especially generals who understood Han military strategy. So they chose to treat Han generals well. And since the Huns left their farming civilization, they had to fight. Because of the changeable weather in the area where the Huns lived, it was more risky to chase aquatic plants, and to graze and hunt. That's why they identified the Central Plains as a "stable income" and kept plundering and attacking.

1. What the Huns looked like

Since the Warring States period, there have been historical records. The Huns naturally looked like bandits in these records. Coming and going as they pleased, robbing food and money. It was difficult for the large-scale fighting Central Plains armies to develop effective strategies to deal with them. Basically, the enemy came, the people of the Central Plains were robbed, the Central Plains army showed up, and the enemy fled. Therefore, the construction of the Great Wall has become an important tool for the Central Plains to fight against the Xiongnu.

2. The Li Ling Incident

The reason why Emperor Wu of Han called it "wu" is that he was not afraid of war. Han Wu Di was very good at taking strategic decisions in wartime, so the Huns met their match. Behind this opponent was a strong state. The most famous one was the Li Ling incident. After Li Xu was caught, he helped the Xiongnu to train their army, which completely changed the nature of the Xiongnu's scattered soldiers. However, Emperor Wu of Han believed that this was the work of Li Ling and killed his entire family, and Li Ling has since completely surrendered.

3. The power of culture

While the army needed to be built up, the Xiongnu were particularly impressed by the indomitable spirit of the Han. It is often said that culture is also a force, and this force is irresistible. The Han people considered the Huns to be bandits and had no friendship. The Han Dynasty was y influenced by traditional culture and could not respect the Xiongnu. Even when they were captured by the Huns, they were not willing to accept favorable treatment. The diplomatic experiences of Su Wu and Zhang Jian were not only praised by the people of the Central Plains, but also influenced the Xiongnu. This cultural influence led directly to the Huns having a wish:if the Han people could respect it in this life, they would die without regret.

The various preferential treatment given to Han generals by the Xiongnu reflected the unlimited desire of the historical barbarians for an agricultural civilization. Whether the Huns accepted the generals or refused to surrender throughout history, it was in fact the Han culture that held the hearts of the Huns firmly in their own hands.